Repeated attacks thwart Colombia oil pipeline

Back-to-back rebel attacks against state-controlled Ecopetrol's strategic eastern crude pipeline are impeding Colombian oil transport and production.

The 220,000 b/d Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline that runs near the border with Venezuela suffered another attack on 30 November at La Cañaguata in Cubará municipality, Boyacá province, Ecopetrol said. The previous attack occurred on 16 November.

"Pumping was suspended at the time of the attack because of repairs to ruptures and illicit valves at other points on the line," the company said.

Ecopetrol's midstream subsidiary Cenit said production at US indpendent Occidental's Caño Limón oil complex was suspended after reducing production over the course of the last four days because of diminishing storage.

Occidental, with partner Ecopetrol, produce around 65,000 b/d of medium-quality crude from their Arauca-based Caño Limón operations.

The latest attacks occurred in an area controlled by Colombia's second largest rebel group ELN.

On 30 November the government and the ELN agreed to suspend preliminary peace talks.

Colombia's main rebel group Farc yesterday started demobilizing under a revised accord approved by the congress this week.

The repeated pipeline bombings reflect the complexity of Colombia's long-running armed conflict and the various politically inspired and drug-trafficking groups other than the Farc that persistently menace the country's oil industry.

The Quito, Ecuador-based negotiations with the ELN are on hold until 10 January 2017.

Ecopetrol's Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline has been out of service for 98 days so far this year, compared with 86 days last year, according to Argus estimates.

In November alone, illicit valves and bombings kept the Caño Limón-Coveñas inoperable for 15 days.

Producers in Colombia's strategic Llanos basin that use the eastern pipeline and the 120,000 b/d Bicentenario feeder pipeline are often forced to resort to more expensive trucking when the pipelines are crippled for extended periods of time.